CVE-2024-13682 identifies a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Wallet System for WooCommerce plugin developed by wpswings, affecting all versions up to and including 2.6.2. The vulnerability stems from missing or incorrect nonce validation in the file class-wallet-user-table.php, which is responsible for handling wallet-related user actions. Nonce tokens are security measures used to verify that requests originate from legitimate users and not from forged sources. Without proper nonce validation, an attacker can craft a malicious request that, when executed by an authenticated administrator (e.g., by clicking a specially crafted link), causes unauthorized modification of wallet balances. This can include adding or subtracting funds, potentially disrupting financial transactions, cashback, refunds, or partial payments managed by the plugin. The vulnerability does not require the attacker to be authenticated but does require user interaction from an administrator, making social engineering a key exploitation vector. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.3, reflecting a medium severity due to the limited scope of impact (integrity only), no impact on confidentiality or availability, and the need for user interaction. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the risk remains significant for sites relying on this plugin for financial operations. The vulnerability highlights the importance of nonce validation in WordPress plugins to prevent CSRF attacks that can manipulate critical transactional data.

The primary impact of CVE-2024-13682 is on the integrity of wallet balances within WooCommerce stores using the affected plugin. Successful exploitation allows attackers to alter wallet funds without authorization, potentially leading to financial discrepancies, fraudulent refunds, or unauthorized cashback issuance. This can undermine customer trust, cause financial losses, and disrupt business operations. Since the attack requires an administrator to perform an action unknowingly, it also raises concerns about social engineering risks within organizations. While confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the integrity compromise can have cascading effects on accounting, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. Organizations with high transaction volumes or those relying heavily on wallet-based payments are particularly vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits after public disclosure.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately update the Wallet System for WooCommerce plugin once a patched version is released that includes proper nonce validation in class-wallet-user-table.php. Until an official patch is available, administrators should implement the following measures: 1) Restrict administrative access to trusted personnel only and enforce strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 2) Educate administrators about phishing and social engineering tactics to reduce the risk of clicking malicious links. 3) Monitor wallet balance changes and administrative actions closely for unusual or unauthorized activity. 4) Consider implementing Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that detect and block suspicious CSRF attempts targeting wallet-related endpoints. 5) Review and harden other plugins and custom code for nonce validation to prevent similar CSRF vulnerabilities. 6) Regularly audit WordPress user roles and permissions to minimize the number of users with administrative privileges. These steps, combined with timely patching, will reduce the risk of exploitation and protect wallet integrity.